Announcing the nominees for Leafly Strain of the Year 2025

In Hollywood, sequels are often expected to disappoint - lower box office take, watered-down magic, the usual law of diminishing returns. When it comes to cannabis cultivation, however, the opposite is more frequently the case. With the first batch we reviewed of Fade Co's Matanuska Thunder Fuck we found it was perfectly respectable, but it carried this quiet sense the strain had more to give. Then this second run arrived and, we must say, the follow-up is markedly superior.

Mountain High’s signature 12-ounce can has always been a study in restraint—clean lines, understated typography, and a palette that whispers “premium” rather than shouts “party.” Blackberry Lime inherits the same elegant minimalism: no garish graphics, no cartoon fruit explosions, just a sleek vessel that looks equally at home on a craft-beer shelf or a minimalist countertop.

Here's a really solid batch of Garcia Hand Picked's LA Baker. Currently available at Liberty Cannabis in Rockville, Maryland, it's an ind...